Babri Masjid demolition case: SC directs expeditious hearing

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed a Rae Bareily court to expeditiously hear Babri Masjid demolition case against senior BJP leader LK Advani and 19 others against whom charge of criminal conspiracy was dropped by the trial court. Expressing deep anguish over non appearence of the counsel for CBI, which has moved the apex court against dropping of conspiracy charges against the top politicians in the apex court, a bench of justices HL Dattu and CK Prasad directed the trial court to hear the case expeditiously.

The bench, meanwhile, allowed the CBI to remove the name of Bal Thackeray from the list of accused persons as he died recently. The bench pulled up Additional Solicitor General A S Chandiok for not being present in the court to argue the case for CBI saying the law officer is taking the court "casually".

The CBI has moved the apex court challenging the May 21, 2010 order of the Allahabad High Court judgement, which had upheld a special court's decision to drop the charges against the leaders. The High Court had at that time, however, allowed the CBI to proceed with other charges against Advani and others in a Rae Bareily court, under which the disputed structure falls.

The May 2010 order of the High Court had said there was no merit in the CBI's revision petition against the May 4, 2001 order of the special court which directed dropping of criminal conspiracy charges against them. There are two sets of cases - one against Advani and others who were on the dais at Ram Katha Kunj in Ayodhya in December 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished, while the other case was against lakhs of unknown 'karsevaks' who were in and around the disputed structure.

The CBI had charge-sheeted Advani and 20 others under sections 153A IPC (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace).

But it subsequently invoked charges under Section 120 B (Criminal Conspiracy) which was quashed by the Special Court whose decision was upheld by the High Court. While upholding the special court's order, the High Court had said the CBI at no point of time, either during the trial at Rai Bareli or in its revision petition, ever stated that there was offence of criminal conspiracy against the leaders.